It
was nick-named «Caspian Sea Monster» - the massive missile carrying
half-boat, half-plane looking construction. First flying in 1987, the Lun-class
ekranoplan with a wingspan of 38 meters was just flying for some years. After
the Cold War, the battle aircraft was mothballed and is now stored in Kaspiysk
in Dagestan.

A
more modern version, named Orlan, is now included to be developed under the
2018-2027 state armament program. First, a prototype craft armed with missiles
will be built, Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov told TASS on Monday.

«The
state armament program for 2018-2027 includes the Orlan research- and
development work, which stipulates the construction of the
wing-in-ground-effect craft. The prototype will be created as part of this
armament program and it will carry missile armament,» Yuri Borisov said.

The
craft will be used to protect the Northern Sea Route where infrastructure today
is weakly protected.

Ekranoplans
have the advantage of flying at lower altitude than ordinary aircraft but moves
at higher speed than a ship.

TASS
reported in 2015 that the navy expected to get a standardized ekranoplan with a
lifting capacity of up to 300 tonnes by 2020.

ADVERTISEMENT

The
craft could also serve patrol, transport and search- and rescue duties.

Conceptual
designing and development work is carried out by the Central Design Bureau for
the Alekseyev Central Hydrofoil company.

In January, the Barents Observer reported
about the development of the civilian amphibious aircraft specially designed
for the Arctic as it can land on sea, snow, ice and tundra.